De Lecq

This is one of a number of Jersey surnames said to originate in the island, and one of the very few which may have done so

The 1660 St Brelade record of the burial of Marie de Lecq, widow of Jean Le Cras

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Origin of surname

There are few Jersey surnames which can be said to have originated in the island rather than being imported from outside, but de Lecq would appear to be one of them. As far as we know the word lecq is not found outside the island. It is well known in Greve de Lecq, a bay and area of the north coast of St Ouen, and also Pierres de Lecq, the French name for the Paternosters reef offshore from there.

The meaning of lecq is shrouded in mystery. As can be seen below, it has existed in a variety of spellings, Leyck appearing in records as early as 1299.

Early records

The family tree below starts in the early 16th century, showing that the family was established when the first church registers were started, and its early members were all baptised in St Brelade, some distance from Greve de Lecq. Perhaps the name was applied to a family which had been resident in that area and moved to the more southerly parish.

Strangely, although only six of the 58 recorded baptisms were registered in St Ouen, the others all being in St Brelade, and most of the men were married in that parish, all but one of the 16 burial records is in St Ouen.

Records exist for just the one family, the majority shown in the tree, and it appears to have died out in the 18th century with the burial of Anne, widow of Philippe Romeril, because the surname is not known today.

Variants

de Lecq, 1689

de Laique, 1607

de Ley, 1528

de Laicq, 1421

de Laic, 1331

de Laik, 1309

Laike

de Layck

Leyck, 1299

de Laic, 1494

de Laye c1340

Delay 1479

Van der Lecq, found in the Netherlands where the surname of a family changed to this in the 16th century. Probably no connection with Jersey

Family records

These wills created by members of the de Lecq family are now held by Jersey Archive. By visiting the archive site and using the names, dates and reference numbers shown here, it is possible to view a copy of each will. You will have to subscribe to the Archive's online service to do this. To find out more about this collection, which covers the period from 1663 to 1948, and how to search for your family's wills there, visit our Jersey wills page